Product Description

Rachael says, Guys who cook are hot! Step into the kitchen with these Top 30 meals with guy appeal. This collection of greatest hits features simple recipes with big flavors, perfect for date nights, game nights, or just hangin' out.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41718 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 144 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781891105210
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Rachael Ray becomes a brand.
This title and three others like it by Rachael Ray in the 'Top 30 30 minute meals' series are, for the content, relatively expensive and inconveniently sized volumes of recipes reprinted from Rachael's previous books. Looking through two of the titles I recognize every recipe I see from earlier books. While Rachael is the nominal author of these books, I fully believe they were assembled by her publisher and a copy editor with maybe a day's input from Miss Rachael for all four books together.

This is becoming a common practice among major cookbook authors, with Mark Bittman's re-releasing his 'How to Cook Everything' in three volumes, cumulatively more expensive than the original book.

One may for a moment equate these books with the music world's 'Best of' releases, but the experience is simply not the same. A 'Best of' album's tracks are based on a genuine audience vote with their purchases and air play. These recipes are simply Rachael's opinion and that of a few of her colleagues. The parallel also breaks down in the sense that listening to, for example, 'The Who's top twelve hits introduces you to a whole new experience of listening to 'My Generation', 'I'm Free', and 'I Can See for Miles' on the same album.

My 3 star rating is not based on the quality of the recipes. It is a warning that these volumes are, in fact, reprints and not new recipes. So, if you already own many or most of Rachael's books already, you may be disappointed if you buy these books.

One other consideration if you do NOT own any of Rachael's books is that for not too much more money, you can get 10 times as many recipes in her 'No Repeats' book of almost all new recipes.

In every way, this is a better purchase than one or all of these minibook samplers.

Good Gift Book for Young Guys First Learning to Cook
Many young men mainly subsist on cold cereal, take-out pizza, and macaroni and cheese meals they make from a box. How will they ever develop past using the microwave for heating frozen foods? Rachael Ray's small book, 30 30-Minute Meals "Guy Food" can help.

If you already own Rachael Ray's 30-minute meals cookbooks, realize that these meals are reprints from those volumes.

If you are concerned about keeping down your weight, these meals aren't the best. You'll need to substitute lower-calorie versions of some of the ingredients.

But true to Rachael Ray's roots, the choices of spices and the ease of preparation are both very good.

Rachael seems to be assuming that the male chef hasn't spent much time in the kitchen before. The recommendations are unusually simple to prepare. But when I was 20, this small book would have been just about perfect for my skill and confidence level in the kitchen.

Here are some of my favorites in the book:

Outside-in bacon cheeseburgers (I hate the mess that cheese makes when it's on top!)
Manly Manny's chili
Blackened chicken pizza
Asparagus with orange and sesame
Spinach pasta with asparagus, artichoke, and arugula
Veal scaloppini with wine, mushrooms, and green olives
Tenderloin steaks with gorgonzola
Sirloin Bourguignonne burgers
John's haddock with bacon, onions, and tomatoes
Steak au poivre
Cubano burgers with mango-black bean salsa
Grilled halibut tacos with guacamole sauce
Tuna steak au poivre on white beans with peppers
Marinated grilled flank steak
Sweet 'n spicy chicken curry in a hurry
Delmonico steaks with balsamic onions and steak sauce
Chorizo and shrimp quesadillas with smoky guacamole
Balsamic pork tenderloins
Roasted ratatouille vegetables

As you can see, most young men will probably want to pick one or two items a week to prepare . . . perhaps for an eat-in date or for having the guys over to watch a game. The food is heartier than most would want to eat every day.

If this book is a success for you, I suggest that you graduate next to Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8. That cookbook will allow you to have more variety and learn how to entertain small groups.

My guy loves it, and so does my brother-in-law
My husband got this book from his sister for Christmas and he loves it. He has cooked several of the dishes and they have all been great! If it means he will cook and I don't have to, I love it. My brother-in-law loved the blackened chicken pizza so much I am getting him the book for his birthday. The pecan crusted chicken was delicious and so were the rosemary potatoes. I'll admit when I first read it, it didn't fit my idea of guy food but like I said, my guy loves it. Go Rachael!